“João e Maria”: uma observação psicanalítica sobre a experiência de crianças em situação de abrigamento

Abstract

This research aims at comprehending children behaviour living in shelter, taking into account the importance of the environment/place, the affective relations and the negative effects of maternal deprivation in the first years for the child development. In order to develop the study, two children were observed (23 and 31 months old), receiving the fictional names João and Maria, once their history of life has allowed a comparison to the “Hansel and Gretel” tale (“João and Maria” in Portuguese), by the Grimm Brothers. Observations were conducted in a shelter owned by the State of Pará, which receives children from zero to six years old, in the city of Belém. They were performed twice a week, lasting one hour each, during 5 months. It was considered the Bick Method for Observing Babies, based on three distinct moments: observation, annotation and group supervision. Results were organised in three categories: 1) the care environment for João and Maria, 2) João and Maria revealed by their ludic plays and games, and 3) meetings with the observer-narrator, whose actions were based in the perspective of the Winnicottian concept. In the first category, fragments of the history of life from João and Maria were presented, as well as aspects referred to the cares they have received in this context, which were permeated by the lack of affection and absence in the prioritisation of real demands according to the time and rhythm of the children, related mainly to the institutional dynamic. In the second category, children plays were investigated in association with body contact, involvement with other children and the observer – in the last case, interaction was more often during the meals. In the third and last category, feelings, difficulties and learning from the observer were discussed, as well as the narrator particular relation to the history of life of the two children and the particularities of the place. Therefore, it was realised that João and Maria were looking for a care relation based on body and affection contact; they have showed themselves as available in the contact one with the other, allowing the creation of affective links, which are positive and healthy aspects for children development. Finally, there is no doubt that applying the Winnicottian concept and the use of the Bick Method have contributed for a better understanding of the João and Maria experience, collaborating significantly for the apprehension of the reality of such children and their context of development.